painting (oil): ["Landscape with Peasants and a Dog"]

"High ground and trees on the left; in the foreground a peasant seated by the side of a road, along which is advancing another peasant with a dog; distant landscape to right." [Wallis, 1913] A peasant wearing a hat and long, dark jacket and accompanied by a dog comes towards us along a rutted track. Another peasant sits by the side of the track beneath an overhanging bank to the left, on top of which is a cluster of trees. The second peasant also wears a hat and holds a staff and is pointing at something to the right of the scene with his right hand. A couple of figures can be seen walking some distance away along a track on lower ground in the direction he indicates. Beyond them is a house and distant hills. Virag 13/12/2004, Between 1984 and 1985, a research assistant, Dr. Brendan Cassidy, was employed by Nottingham Castle Museum to research and write a catalogue of the foreign oil paintings in their collection. The catalogue never materialised, but drafts and notes relating to Cassidy's research can be found in the Artist Files and in the Archive at the museum. All references to Cassidy relate to these documents. The dating of NCM 1904-108 is based on a similar work by Wijnants at the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge which is adted 1670 and also by the fact that Wijnants is known to have begun painting dune landscapes from the late 1650s onwards. On the reverse: On removal of backboard: 1. Sale room stencil: "1 8 5 M" (first character could be number "one" or letter "L") 2. NCM accession number 3. Upper centre (on frame) Label: "J. WYNANTS. 6. A Landscape, with peasants and dog ona road under a sandbank. Signed." (This is the entry from the 1913 edition of the Nottingham catalogue) 4. The label relating to the Royal Academy Old Masters exhibition of 1882 is contained in an envelope in the Artist File: "Name of Artist J. Wynants Title of Work Landscape with peasants & a dog Name and Address of Proprieter Richard Godson Millns Esq 139A Abbey Rd St. Johns Wood" There are some small dents on the paint surface in the sky area which have been re-touched. A strip measuring 0.7cms wide has been added to the lower edge of the panel. Virag 13/12/2004, Sold from the collection of Sir Thomas Birch Bart. (deceased) of "The Hazels" near Liverpool at Christie's, 11 June 1881, lot 66 and bought by Richard Godson Millns